what john boehner did was very, very shrewd. he said to the government, you have been silent on this. we are waiting for your recommendations. you want to make spending cuts? you are open to revenue abduction eliminations, you tell us, mr. president, what you would like. bill: boehner says they were close to doing it last time and the president lost his nerve. but both men are facing the possibility of crossing the threshold of history if they lock arms. >> there is so much uncertainty for businesses and individuals. the "wall street journal" had a report out yesterday saying there is so much uncertainty we could slip into another recession over this fiscal cliff. let's hope they can do their jobs for once. bill: you go find beckel, will you? >> it's not my turn to baby sit. we'll find him by 5:00. bill: it takes four you to baby sit him. to our viewers, have you got a question in e-mail us or on twitter @bill hemmer. this is coming up. we have dozens of house republicans formally opposing susan rice's nomination as secretary of